Laurie Bolger, LISP 2025 Poetry Winner

LISP 2025 Poetry Winner Laurie Bolger by 'Self Portrait as a Bull'

Could you please tell us about yourself and your daily routine?

To be honest I don’t think I have one! I’m a writer who’s happiest when I’m on the go taking in the small details of everyday life…you want to see my phone notes they are chaos! I love travelling with my writing but my ideal day is a cup of coffee in the bath, musical theatre on or checking in with myself and the people around me. Then editing wise usually from a café or my kitchen table. Some days I need total quiet and other days I like people around me when I work I’ve been loving touring with other poets and writing backstage before the gig. That always feels fizzy and fun. I’m better when I have a time limit or space that can hold my ideas for a while otherwise I just start cleaning the house or dreaming up projects whilst pottering.

When and how did you start writing?

I started writing as a teenager. I wanted to be a songwriter so mostly little scraps of poems in notebooks that I never showed anyone because I didn’t take to playing an instrument and it was the boys that were in the bands. So I guess it felt like a private place I could put things I didn’t know how to say out loud. Eventually I began performing and sharing my work much later and that cracked something open for me the idea that our stories don’t need to be mega polished or grand to matter and I began doing comedy, radio and presenting which taught me to give ideas over and try things! You can never predict the night and it’s always a collaboration with the audience. Writing has always been the thread that pulls the rest of my life together but recently a lot of my time is spent making things…my books and workshops support my ideas and I feel very lucky for all of it.

How frequently do you write? Do you have a writing routine? And what inspires you to write?

I write most days but not always in a sit-down-now-and-be-productive way. Sometimes it’s a line on my phone while I’m on the train or a voice memo of me whispering an idea. I’d like to think my writing routine is staying up by candle light with a big giblet of wine and a quill but in reality its trying to not drop my notebook in the bath at 8am with a cuppa.

How does it feel to have your work acknowledged, whether through winning a competition or having it published or produced?

It feels really special. Writing is such a private act so when something you made connects with someone else it feels like somebody has caught you in some way and said yes I get it, I saw what you were doing I receive it and get something from this thing you made. Competitions and publications give you a moment to pause and notice this thing I’m doing is working but then I immediately want to keep going and write something else!

What’s the most rewarding and challenging aspect of writing a story or poetry?

The most rewarding part is when people message you to say they’ve been reading your poems in the evenings or to their partner on the sofa and those moments are always so lovely because you know a little part of your fizzy brain has connected with someone else somehow. Connection is the thing always, The hardest part is getting to that point. Writing takes time and guts and trusting that the messy draft is worth sticking with is hard!

How did you come up with the idea for your LISP-selected story? Is there a story behind your story? And how long have you been working on it?

This piece started at Moniack Mhor under the careful guidance of Pascal Petit. The course was won as part of a prize I’d won for my pamphlet Spin with The Poetry Business and the course was themed around animals and beasts! I genuinely wrote such strange and interesting poems that week and I choose the course because it felt so far away from the everyday that often exists in my poems.

Please share a few tips on writing poetry.

Don’t think to hard…the poem wants to be written so sometime you have to give over a bit…get into your body and write however you need to…on the train, in the bath, on a spin bike in the gym, whilst cooing a risotto just keep the ideas flowing and try not to judge yourself too much. Life is hard and short and the world wants your work and be kind to yourself. Good writing comes from paying attention, not from pressure.

What are the best and the most challenging aspects of competitions?

The best part is the community discovering other writers, new voices, unexpected stories. Competitions shine a little light into corners of the writing world you might not have found otherwise. The hardest part is not letting the outcome define your worth. Some great pieces don’t always get picked and it’s a funny game. You have to keep your faith in your work separate from the result. Saying this I am over the moon!

Finally, would you recommend that writers consider submitting to LISP?

Yes! LISP is warm, supportive and genuinely interested in writers at all stages. Even just preparing a piece for submission can strengthen the work. If you’re selected then yes please it’s a lovely boost but enjoy throwing your poems into the world regardless. Caroline Bird once said to me “enjoy the process and the product will take care of itself” and this is by far the best piece of writing advice I’ve ever been given. I try and keep it in my back pocket always.